Power ranking the AFC West by position groups
Defensive Line
4) Las Vegas Raiders
This ranking was tough because the AFC West, by and large, is very stout along the front of their defensive lines. The Raiders, for instance, feature one of the best young pass rushers in football in Maxx Crosby – who could push for All-Pro status within the next couple of years. The team also has 2019 first round pick Clelin Ferrel who they certainly haven’t given up on. The team will also rely on tackle Maliek Collins to give push up the middle. This could be a very good group, but depth and youth make them the bottom of the West.
3) Los Angeles Chargers
Los Angeles places ahead of Las Vegas on this list primarily because Joey Bosa is, as of now, a better pass rusher than Maxx Crosby. The rest of these two units are quite comparable, featuring little depth, but quality starters around their star player. The unit the Chargers start with on the field has the potential to be among the best defensive lines in the league – but with no rotational depth and an awful injury history, it is difficult to move them up the rankings.
2) Kansas City Chiefs
When we started with this project, it seemed possible that the Chiefs would rank first on the defensive line in the division, but despite the team’s relative strength and incredible depth, it was tough to place them higher than third. The team features two of the best rushers in football with Frank Clark and Chris Jones, and a bevy of quality, above average players around them. If the team finds legitimate, consistent pass rush opposite Frank Clark for Alex Okafor, Tanoh Kpassagnon or Taco Charlton – they could vault to number one on the list.
1) Denver Broncos
Denver features three All-Pro caliber players in their defensive front with Von Miller, Bradley Chubb and now, Jurrell Casey. Technically, Miller and Chubb are technically linebackers, but they are pure pass rushers in nearly every sense, so we’ve ranked them as part of the team’s defensive line. It simply felt wrong to do otherwise. At any rate, no other team features that much talent on their front, and when you also consider supporting cast including players like Shelby Harris, Mike Purcell and McTelvin Agim, it is not difficult to see why the Broncos have the top defensive front in the AFC West.